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Re: New tanks for beginners



In a message dated 98-05-08 15:55:02 EDT, Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com
someone wrote which prompted my comments:

<< >Easy plants : Anubias barteri v. nana, Hygrophila polysperma or the
 "Sunset"
 >Hygrophila with good light/iron it show some nice red coloring, 

I have not had much luck with Hygrophilia in any of the varieties.  It usually
grows tall and has few leaves.  

 >Cabomba
 >caroliniana, Bacopa caroliniana,

Caution on the Cambodia.  I have found that occassionally the leaves drop and
make a nightmare cleaning the tank.

 > some of the Echinodorus are pretty hardy
 >try Echinodorus bleheri (paniculatus). 

I will agree here but caution is to get the right varieties to go with your
size
aquarium.  Some grow to 24 or 30 inches in nature and unless your tank is 
that tall you may be having problems with plants to large in time.  Get a good
plant book and check on the hieght it grows to before buying.  Also the key
to these plants is a lot of light for 10 to 12 hours per day



 > Also type some Cryptocorynes like
 >the Cryptocoryne wendtii it is pretty easy to grow but likes to be left
 >alone.  Just plant in fertile substrate in a low to average lighted area of
 >your tank and don't move it. 

Yes another great group of plants.  You can mix varieties of the Crypts in the
tank 
and get a great effect.  But remember they like low light of 16 to 20 hours a
day
and are not compatable with the plantthat need intense light for shorter time
periods.

 >Others to consider are different varieties of
 >Ceratopteris or Water Sprite and of course some Amazon Swords.  For more
 >"easy plants" look in the same sections mentioned below.

Yes but again be cautious on type to match the plant size with the aquarium.

 >
 >Heavily planted tanks from the start are far less likely to be come algae
 >farms and cycle easier !
 > >>

Defenatly true but still  expect  get at least a breif splurge of algea when
you start up.
Also to help cycling add a few fish about 2 or 3 days after setup.  Personally
I add
the scavangers first at this time as they are usually rugged enough to handle
the instable chemestry you may initially see untill everything settles down.

Dennis